Muzzled Media: Global Threats to Freedom of the Press

The McCain Institute for International Leadership

1800 I Street NW

Eighth Floor Events Pavilion

Washington DC, 20006

April 26, 2018

4:00 P.M. ET

Global press freedom has come under extreme duress in recent years. With total autonomy over their own media infrastructure, Russia and China have ramped up their efforts to interfere in, and disrupt, the media environments of vulnerable countries. Around the world, illiberal democracies have severely cracked down on independent journalism outlets. Recently, even journalists and media outlets in western democracies are beginning to face unprecedented threats.

On April 26, the McCain Institute for International Leadership, RadioFree Europe/RadioLiberty and the Czech Embassy hosted a round-table discussion to highlight the global crisis of press freedom and hash out potential solutions. The event featured the Vaclav Havel Journalism Fellows, who discussed the increasing challenges they face when reporting from their home countries.